like-minded people

by Terri Kaiser
 

I belong to a writer’s group at our local library.  We call ourselves The Third Story Writers Guild.  We are so much more than a critique group. These people have become my mentors, my cheerleaders, my ‘what were you thinking here’ people, and my buddies.  Lately I’ve come to realize how important it is in life to have friends of a similar interest.

Living in a small town, with an hour or two to drive to any sizeable community, finding like-minded people, I thought, was daunting.  Most people here are salt-of-the-earth types.  They work hard, play hard, and will give you the shirt off their backs.  It wasn’t until a local newspaper contributor, Karen Dums, founded our group, that we’ve come out to proclaim our love of writing.  Every year we add new and interesting members to fill out our family.  Many thanks to Karen and all her hard work.

Our addition to the community has been very well-received.  In fact, we gathered our courage and performed a reading one evening at a local bar.  I have to admit, I thought we’d be booed out the door.  To my delight, everyone seemed to hang on every word.  They clapped and laughed and sighed in all the right places.  It was very rewarding.

My advice - take a chance.  Form it, and they will come.